Fastening-supplying apparatus



Dec. 11, 1934. H. E. BRIEGLEE FASTENING SUPPLYING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 8, 1932 Patented Dec. 11, 1934 1 UNITED} STATES PATENT OFFICE FASTENING- SUPPLYING APPARATUS Hugh E. Briegleb, St. Clair, Mo., assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Paterson, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application August 8, 1932, Serial No. 627,877

.16 Claims. (Cl. 139) My invention relates to the supplying of fasher which causes the disengagement of a clutch tenings, it being particularly concerned with transmitting power to the main driving shaft apparatus for delivering nails for use in heelof the apparatus. To correctly position the disattaching machines and the like. charge device with respect to the raceway and 5 When a nail-feeder or other fastening-disto maintain the proper relation between the 5 tributor, such as that of Letters Patent of the movement of said device and that of the race- United States No. 1,657,630, Lund, Jan. 31, 1928, Way-controlling means, means is preferably prois provided with means for causing the discharge vided for simultaneously varying the effect of of successive loads of nails as a result of direct the loader-actuated member upon the discharge actuation of its nail-roll or discharge device by device and controlling means, as by altering its 10 the transferring or loading mechanism to which effective length. it delivers, a discharge-controlling arrangement In the accompanying drawing is illustrated a of this character being disclosed in Letters Patent particular embodiment of the invention, of the United States No. 1,768,831, Dostie, July Fig. 1 showing in perspective the delivery porl, 1930, the power means for actuating the dist on o a ail-d stribut gen ally esemb 15 charge-roll and which stops the nail-advancing that of Lund, while movement of the distributor-raceway, as is illus- Fig- 2 is a S de elevation o th del v y-end trated in the first-mentioned patent, is absent of such distributor, together with a loader-arm from the apparatus. Unless means is taken to which receives nails from the distributor for prevent it, the shake of the raceway will continue t an r t the aili g me a of a heelihg 20 during discharge, with a possible tendency to machine and actuating Connections from the displace the nails from the roll. loader-arm to the distributor.

The present invention has as an object the A 10 ay b Seen he -C uc raceway provision of simple and effective means for conof a distributor'D. The nails are delivered to trolling the operation of a fastening-distributor, a v s 12 y a rotatable drum Other this means especially lending itself to co-operapower-driven means (not illustrated) and are tion with the roll-actuating means of the Dostie caused to travel down the grooves by the oscillapatent. This object I attain by transmitting tion of the raceway. For this purpose, said racethe movement of the loading or transferring way is pivoted, as at 14, upon levers 16 fulcrumed mechanism, ordinarily as caused by an operator, upon the frame 18 of the distributor and rocked 30 through a movable member, as the sole source through connecting-rods, one of which appears of power, to apply the force created by the at 20, it being driven by an eccentric 22 upon a operator to both the discharge device for the main shaft 24 journaled transversely of the frame. fastenings and to means for controlling the Power may be applied to the shaft through a beltmovement of the raceway. For this purpose, I pulley 26 and clutch 28. This clutch is held nor- 35 prefer to provide a member movable by the mally in engagement, so the shaft is rotated, by loading mechanism with connections which both a spring 30. Disengagement may be effected by oscillate the roll which effects discharge and a hand-lever 32 fulcrumed upon a bracket 34 pro govern the raceway-oscillating mechanism. jecting from the frame, and this separation of the These connections are shown, in the present inclutch members may be maintained, as when it 40 Sta as from the loader-actuated m mber, is desired to fully stop the operation of the apapp as a to the i ha e-r011 and paratus, by a latch 36 upon the lever, which enfrOm Said roll to the Clutch Similar means ter'sa notch in a projection 38 from the bracket. thr u h whi th raceway-oscillating ha- All the power-driven elements of the distributor 1115111 S v y these Connections, h are preferably actuated from the shaft 24. Gear- 45 t 0f th ce yo t is rendered ing 40 may be utilized to turn the nail-drum, and tirely independent of the p p ra 0f t e gearing 42 may oscillate the usual clearing finapparatus. Not only may the raceway-movegers 44 co-operating with the raceway. ment be stopped as the nails are discharged from To discharge the nails from the raceway in suc the roll, but the other power-driven elements of cessive loads, the grooves 12 deliver through open- 5 the pp u y be ht to rest, thus reings 46 in a roll 48 journaled transversely of the moving all opportunity for the introduction of raceway for oscillation between a receiving posinail-dis urb n ff This I bring about by tion, in which the openings are alined with the causing the travel of the transferring or loading grooves, and a delivering position, as shown in 5 means to communicate-its movement to a mem- Fig. 2, the openings now being. inclined downwardly so the nails pass by gravity through tubes 50 to enter openings in a loader-block 52, by which they are to, be transferred to the nailing mechanism of the machine supplied. The block 52 is carried by a loader-arm 54 mountedto turn about a vertical spindle 56 fixed in the frame of the machine supplied, and movable by the operator between positions for the reception of the nails from the distributor-tubes 50 and'the delivery of said nails to the machine. Upon the upper side of the loader-arm is secured a member on which is a cam-surface 58 arranged to strike,,as the loader-block approaches the receiving end of its travel, the contact-portion 60 of an actuating rod 62 mounted to reciprocate vertically in a bracket 64 secured to the spindle 56. To the upper ex 'tremity of the rod 62 is pivoted a rack 66, guided in its movement by anarm 68 turning upon the raceway-frame. A spring 69, joined to the rack, draws the rod '62 normally down for actuation by the cam-surface 58. The rack meshes with a pinion 70 fast upon the discharge-roll. To the end of the discharge-roll opposite the pinion is secured a cam 72, which engages, as the roll oscillates, a plunger 74 guided for reciprocation upon the frame 18. A helical spring 76 surrounds the plunger, urging ittoward the cam. Threaded into the opposite extremity of the plunger is a contact-screw '78, against the head of which bears a contact-b1ock 80 carried by the inner end of the hand-lever 32.

Upon starting the'apparatus in operation, the latch of the hand-lever 32 is released from the member 38, allowing the spring 30 to cause the engagement of the clutch 23. The pulley 26 being constantly driven by its belt, the shaft 24 now turns, producing rotation of the nail drum through the gearing 40 and delivery from said drum to the raceway-grooves 12; the oscillation of the raceway through the eccentrics 22, with the consequent forward travel of the nails along the grooves; and movement of the clearing fingers 44 through the gearing 42. 'The roll 48 remains at rest, with its openings 46 in registration with the 7 raceway-grooves, so it receives a load of nails therefrom. When the operator is ready to perform a nailing operation, the loader-arm 54 is swung manually into nail-receiving position, with the block 52 beneath the lower ends of the distributor-tubes 50. During this movement, the cam-surface 58 upon the loader-arm strikes the contact-piece 60 of the rod 62, elevating said rod and, through the gearing 66, '70, turning the discharge-roll. The cam '72, rotating with the roll, has such a contour that it rapidly forces the head of the screw '78 terminating the plunger '74 against the contact-end 80 of the lever 32 to separate the members of the clutch 28, but without engaging the latching, members 36 and 38. Rotation of the shaft 24 is thus stopped, and the movement of the nail-drum, raceway and clearer is discontinued. When all these elements of the nail-feeding means are at rest, the final travel of the loader-arm to its extreme nail-receiving position completes the rotation of the discharge-v roll at a time when the apparatus is entirely free from vibration and there is no danger of so jarring nails upon the roll that they waste or clog. When the operator causes the delivering movement of the loader-arm after the nails have been received in the block, the roll 48 is restored by the spring 69 to its normal relation, the cam 72 turned so the spring '76 may retract the plunger '24, and the lever 32 released to permit the spring 30 to again engage the clutch 28 to start the nail-feeding operations. At any time it is desired to fully stop the operation of the apparatus, the lever 32 is shifted by the operator to the maximum extent to disengage the clutch, it being latched at 38. I prefer to form the 'rod 62 in sections, with a shiftable connection at 82, so its effective length may be varied. This allows an initial angular adjustment of the roll 43 about its axis, to correctly aline its openings 46 with the raceway-grooves. The screw '78 ofithe plunger may be varied in position to independently determine the time of disengagement of'the clutch, it being noted that, once the latter adjustment is made upon setting up the apparatus, the adjustment at 82 affects the roll and cam-actuated plunger simultaneously, so the proper relation between the roll-oscillation and clutch-release may be maintained.

Specific reference has been made to the nail distributor of the Lund patent, which is designed for feeding at the same time nails of different lengths. It is to be understood, however, that my invention is equally applicable to a single-length nail-distributor.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United states isz l. The combination with fastening-feeding mechanism having a movable raceway, a discharge device and means for controlling the move ment of the raceway, of means movable by an operator te transfer fastenings from the feeding .echanism, and a member through which the force created by the operator is applied to the discharge device and to the controlling means.

2. The combination with fastening-feeding mechanism having a movable raceway, a discharge device and means for controlling the movement of the raceway, of means movable to transfer fastenings from the feeding mechanism. a member through which the movement of the transferring mechanism is transmitted to the discharge device, and connections to the discharge device for governing the controlling means.

3. The combination with fastening-feeding mechanism provided with an oscillatory dis.- charge-roll, a main driving shaft and a clutch through which power is applied to the shaft, of transferring means movable by an operator to receive fastenings from the feeding mechanism, and a member movable by the transferring means and utilizing the force created by the operator for oscillating the discharge-roll and disengaging ,the clutch. W 7

4. The combination with a nail-distributor having an oscfllatory raceway, an oscillatory discharge-roll to which nails are delivered from the raceway and mechanism for oscillating the raceway, of loading mechanism movable into position to receive nails falling from the discharge-roll, a member movable by the loading mechanism, connections to the member for oscillating the discharge-roll, and connections to the discharge-roll for governing the raceway-oscillating mechanism.

5. The combination with a nail-distributor having a movable raceway, a movable discharge-roll and actuating means for the raceway, of a loaderarm movable by an operator into nail-receiving position at the distributor, a rod movable by the loader-arm, and means for transmitting the force applied by the operator to the rod to both the discharge-roll and raceway-actuating means.

6. The combination with a nail-distributor having a movable raceway, a movable discharge-roll and actuating means for the raceway including a clutch, of a loader-arm movable into nail-receiving position at the distributor, a rod movable by the loader-arm, gearing connecting the rod and discharge-roll, a cam rotatable by the-roll, and connections movable by the-cam for disengaging the clutch.

7. The combination with fastening-feeding mechanism having a movable raceway, a discharge device and means for controlling the movement of the raceway, of means movable to transfer fastenings from the feelding mechanism, a member through which themovement of the transferring means is transmitted to the discharge device and to the controlling means, and means arranged to vary simultaneously the effect of the member upon the discharge device and controlling means.

8. The combination with a nail-distributor having an oscillatory raceway, an oscillatory discharge-roll to which nails are delivered from the raceway and mechanism for oscillating the raceway, of loading mechanism movable into position to receive nails falling from the dischargeroll, a member movable by the loading mechanism, means for varying the efiective length of the member, and connections to the member for both oscillating the discharge-roll and governing the raceway-oscillating mechanism.

9. The combination with a nail-distributor having an oscillatory raceway, an oscillatory discharge-roll to which nails are delivered from the raceway and mechanism for oscillating the raceway and including a clutch, of loading mechanism movable into position to receive nails falling from the discharge-roll, connections movable by the loading mechanism and acting upon the discharge-roll, means movable with the dischargeroll for disengaging the clutch, and means arranged to vary the effective length of an element of the connections.

10. The combination with a nail-distributor having an oscillatory raceway, an oscillatory discharge-roll to which nails are delivered from the raceway and mechanism for oscillating the raceway, said mechanism including a clutch and a lever movable by the operator to disengage the clutch, of loading mechanism movable into position to receive nails falling from the dischargeroll, and connections movable by the loading mechanism into contact with the clutch-lever.

11. The combination with a nail-distributor having an oscillatory raceway, an oscillatory discharge-roll to which nails are delivered from the raceway and mechanism for oscillating the raceway, said mechanism including a clutch and a lever movable by the operator to disengage the clutch, of loading mechanism movable into position to receive nails falling from the dischargeroll, and connections movable by the loading mechanism into contact with the clutch-lever, said connections including the discharge-roll.

12. The combination with a nail-distributor having an oscillatory raceway, an oscillatory discharge-roll to which nails are delivered from the raceway and mechanism for oscillating the raceway, saicl mechanism including a clutch and a lever movable by the operator to disengage the clutch, of loading mechanism movable into position to receive nails falling from the dischargeroll, connections movable by the loading mechanism into contact with the clutch-lever, said connections including the discharge-roll, means arranged to vary the effective length of an element of the connections between the loading mechanism and discharge-roll, and means arranged to vary the eiiective length of an element of the connections between the discharge-roll and the lever.

13. In a nail-distributor, a movable raceway, a movable discharge device, means for moving the raceway, and means operable by the discharge device for stopping the movement of the raceway.

14. In a nail-distributor, an oscillatory raceway, an oscillatory discharge-roll, a power-shaft, a clutch through which power is applied to the shaft, connections to the shaft for oscillating the raceway, and means movable by the dischargeroll for disengaging the clutch.

15. In a nail-distributor, an oscillatory raceway, an oscillatory discharge-roll, a cam movable by the roll, a power-shaft, a clutch through which power is applied to the shaft, a lever for disengag ing the clutch, connections to the shaft for oscillating the raceway, and a plunger movable by the cam and acting upon the lever.

16. The combination with fastening-feeding mechanism having a movable raceway, a discharge device for the iastenings and means for controlling the movement of the raceway, of means movable to transfer fastenings from the feeding mechanism, a member movable under the control of the transferring means, and connections transmitting the movement of the member as the sole means of applying power to actuate both the discharge device to eiiect the discharge of the fastenings and the controlling means to stop the movement of the raceway.

HUGH E. BRIEGLEB. 

